Welding Thin Stainless Steel Sheets

Spot welding is usually used to join a panel of overlapping sheet metal parts that are usually 3mm thick.

Welding thin stainless steel sheets.

Choose the correct electrode for the workpiece again 316 308 or 312 grade are typical. This process is performed by using a non disposable tungsten electrode with a tig welder for striking up the arc. While the stainless steel wire diameters used for sct are predominantly 0 030 0 035 and 0 045 in you can use a smaller diameter when welding thin materials. Short circuit transfer mig short arc tig and pulsed tig welding processes provide the most control over the heat to address these challenges.

This is because the strength of the joints depends on the number and size of the weld. Many welders struggle with stainless sheet less than 2mm thick. Its primary usage is in welding auto body and sheet metal. The ration of thickness should not exceed 3 1mm.

This is basically a common and unique process for joining stainless steel. The photo is 1mm steel welded at a power setting normally reserved for 2mm steel. Typical wire diameters for short circuit welding of carbon steel include 0 023 0 030 0 035 and 0 045 in. When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application.

Try applying that technique to steel less than 1mm in thickness and you are likely to blow a hole in the metal. Lastly do not try to use flux cored wires for thin metal sheets as they pass more heat to the base metal. The gases will change for this and you should use 90 helium 8 argon and 2 carbon dioxide. Be sure to choose a small diameter electrode use low amperage and maintain a fast travel speed to produce an all around good weld in the flat and horizontal positions.

Remember that you won t be able to weld thin sheets of stainless steel. Stainless steel moves on welding tables so make sure you clamp or tack weld it to your workpiece. Generally the skip welding technique is the best way to distribute heat in an even manner. This process also uses shielding gas against contamination but you can weld thinner metals more efficiently with it.

If you are going to be welding 304 stainless steel the such for wires like er308l er308 or er308lsi. Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal. Say if you are welding an 18 gauge stainless steel sheet that is 2 2 feet in size to repair the side of your tank start by creating a weld that is 1inch long then skip 6 inches and then create a 1 inch long weld.